


Lifeline

by EternallyEcho



Category: Watership Down - Richard Adams
Genre: Apologies, Coping, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28465311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEcho/pseuds/EternallyEcho
Summary: Nightmares are dreadful things, whether you're experienced with them or not. Two rabbits come together after some and help one another recover and process them.
Relationships: Bigwig/Fiver (Watership Down)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Lifeline

**Author's Note:**

> As it turns out, hello yet again, Watership archive!
> 
> I wasn't quite planning to churn out another one-shot, but I had another thought on Bigwig and Fiver. Well...one that I could turn into a single story, anyway. But here we are, another one for these two again.
> 
> Time to set the stage with some notes as well:
> 
> \- Slash-Crack: This will be a story that features a romantic relationship between two male characters (bucks), aka it's gay. They also have limited chemistry from the source material, so it's an exaggerated idea.
> 
> \- Actually Adapted Canon: For once, I used actual lines from the book itself and this one-shot is more based off of the book than the other versions! You're welcome. The personalities of the characters might be somewhat loosely interpreted however.
> 
> \- Trauma to Eventual Fluff: Slightly heavier topics are involved, with strangulation and a near-death experience gone over. I'm trusting most Watership Down fans know where that's going, but if not, well...you'll learn very quickly.
> 
> That should cover the important stuff. If you're interested, please feel free to read on, and enjoy!

Evening had settled over the hills, with the recently arrived rabbits digging out new holes for themselves. Having worked for a good portion of the day, the rabbits slowly climbed from the great burrow that they had christened as "The Honeycomb," and walked about the grass above, off to silflay or lay about. Some of them watched the clouds and listened to the gentle swaying of the tree branches. Others chattered with one another as they ate.

One of the rabbits, a slightly slender and bright brown one, watched over the group and smiled as he watched them relax. Though his paws were a bit sore from digging, he sat upright and took in the peaceful scenes. Another rabbit with black tipped ears hopped up alongside him.

"This will become a very wonderful home, Hazel," assured the second rabbit.

"I think you're right, Blackberry." Hazel's eyes lingered over a smaller rabbit that looked similar in color to him. "Fiver found an amazing place for us to settle."

"It was your leadership that helped carry us forward."

"Without him, I wouldn't have known this place existed," insisted Hazel. "And we all worked together to get to this point."

Watching his younger brother glance around at the hills, he was soon joined by another small rabbit, one with a lighter coat of fur. They talked for a bit, but soon jolted up as their ears twitched. Turning, they were joined by a bigger rabbit with a coat of reddish fur.

"You seem like you'll lose your mind if you don't check on him," teased Blackberry.

"Perhaps so," Hazel admitted. "He made me a bit crazy back at Cowslip's, but…"

"He's your family."

"Yes."

"Why don't we go over then?"

Nodding, Hazel led Blackberry over to the three rabbits that sat together. Fiver watched the clouds in the sky, even as Hazel came behind him and waited for a moment, while Blackberry talked with Fiver's friends.

"It's rather beautiful," he murmured. There was an uncommon serenity in his soft tone.

"Certainly is," agreed Hazel. He nudged his younger brother, who finally rolled around to face him. "Are you doing all right?"

"For now." Fiver glanced behind him at other rabbits talking with one another. "Later might be different…"

"Why's that?" Hazel's eyes fell on the bulky rabbit of the group. "…It's not Bigwig, is it?" He waited, but Fiver didn't answer. "Has he been giving you a hard time? I thought we had it settled after the snare."

"That's…not quite it," tried Fiver.

"Then what else has he got making him so cross?"

"No, I mean…" Fiver sighed. "I can't explain it properly, but he and I have something else to discuss…"

"When?" Hazel's brow furrowed. "If you need me to intervene or—"

"Hazel, that's between him and I." Fiver gazed into his brother's eyes. "We'll sort it out, but it's something that he can only talk about with me."

"But…" Hazel opened his mouth to protest, but Fiver had turned away from him. "I should at least hear about it."

"After we're done, I'll explain it."

"What's being done now?" The other small rabbit hopped over to the brothers. He had a bit higher of a voice than the others. "Have we missed anything important, Hazel-rah?"

"No, no, don't you worry your little head, Pipkin," soothed Hazel. His sweeter tone, however, irked the little rabbit.

"Oh, come now! I'm not a kitten," protested Pipkin. "Just because I'm on the smaller side doesn't mean I have to be treated like that."

"You are the youngest," reminded Blackberry from behind him.

"So? I'm not that far behind Fiver, and everyone has no problem treating him like the others," contested Pipkin. "I should be bigger than him by this point!"

"Not by much," muttered Fiver.

"Fiver is smaller because he was the litter runt, not because of his age," Hazel reminded Pipkin. "And we do realize you're no kitten anymore Pipkin, but we're still very used to you being the youngest, so…old habits."

"Better to be called young than old," piped up the plump red rabbit. "And better to silflay than to go hungry!"

"Strawberry, how do you never seem to eat your fill?" Blackberry tilted his head and studied the larger rabbit.

"There was a lot to go around at the old warren…" Strawberry sighed. "But, that was for the wrong reasons, I learned."

"It's all right, Strawberry; you're with us now," reminded Fiver, to which Strawberry smiled.

"Yeah! Much better now."

"Well and good, but can we please get back to everyone not treating me like I'm a baby?" Pipkin puffed out his cheek and slumped down. "Being ignored is only making it worse!"

"Well, you could have been mature and let the topic change organically," murmured Blackberry. "But, instead you went right back, so…"

"That's not my fault!"

"It literally is."

"Ok, ok, let's not pick on Pipkin." Hazel lifted his paws and waved them down, trying to settle the bubbling argument.

"Hazel-rah, isn't there a better way you can defend me?" Pipkin groaned and flopped onto the ground. "This is only making everything worse…"

"Complaining like that is a bit immature too," pointed out Blackberry.

"Ok, really?"

Pipkin fired himself back up, as he and Blackberry bickered. Hazel slid between the two to try settling the argument, while Strawberry laughed at the scene. Fiver smiled at them for a moment, but then gazed off towards Bigwig and the rabbits he was with.

Sitting a bit apart from his companions, Bigwig gently rubbed at his neck, wincing a bit at the touch. He surveyed the lands below the hills, searching for anything to steal his attention away, but nothing in particular came about today. Lowering his eyes in resignation, he looked back to his companions: two bulky rabbits not unlike himself, though one with bright silver fur and the other a bit less fluffy than Bigwig.

"Honestly, I never really thought digging would be such a work out," complained Silver, flexing his dirty caked paws. "I don't know how you've kept at it longer than we have, Buckthorn."

"Just has to get done," offered Buckthorn's deep, calm voice. "The more we do now, the sooner we'll be able to relax."

"Still, it's very impressive work on your part," Silver complimented. "I should only hope that Owsla bucks like us wouldn't be looked down upon for this work."

"It's part of survival," offered Buckthorn, "so I don't see how that's anything bad."

"You know what? That is a good point." Silver nodded. "In fact, I quite like it. How about you, Bigwig? You agree with that notion, right?" Silver waited for a moment, glancing to his fellow rabbit with the tuft of fur on his head. Bigwig seemed to stare past them, his paw by his neck again. "Bigwig?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course."

"Is everything all right, mate?" Silver raised an eyebrow at Bigwig. "You seem a bit out of sorts."

"Me? I'm fine."

"You sure?" Buckthorn adjusted his posture a bit. "It's ok if you're not. We're all a bit tired."

"No, I mean, yeah, it's just…" Bigwig shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Just need to get some rest."

Rustling sounded behind him, and something started to rise from the grass patches. Bigwig twisted around and swung his leg out, as another rabbit tripped and dropped back down, barely evading the kick.

"What was that for?" The startled rabbit cupped his forepaws over his head. "I didn't do nothing!"

"Hawkbit?" Silver hopped forward to him. "Just what are you doing sneaking up on Bigwig like that?"

"Sneaking? I got stuck in a knot." Hawkbit tugged his hind leg from the grass knot that caught him. "I'm just looking for Dandelion and Acorn."

"Dandelion is racing with Speedwell over there," pointed out Buckthorn. "Acorn is probably judging for them."

"Then I ought to go join in," decided Hawkbit, and he started off, but paused and spun back around. "Oh, uh, sorry for the spook, Bigwig. Um. Please don't kill me later for it."

Bouncing off, Hawkbit hurried away, while Bigwig's friends twisted back around to him. They waited as Bigwig sank down and sulked on the grass, not commenting about Hawkbit one way or another. Silver came a bit closer, lifting one ear up as he studied his friend.

"Do you need something else besides rest?" Silver tapped his foot a bit. "Normally, you snap at the silly antics from someone like Hawkbit."

"Not really in the mood," muttered Bigwig.

"Right, and that's usually why you snap," pointed out Silver. His ears lowered. "Do you need to talk about anything going on? Cowslip's wasn't that long ago."

"I'm fine," insisted Bigwig. "What, do you think I should go off and kill Hawkbit then?"

"Please don't." Buckthorn hopped over. "I'm rather happy that we've all made it this far, and I like that we're getting along better now."

"Fine, yeah," relented Bigwig. "I'll just give him a heavy Owsla work out later."

"See, that's more like it." Silver smirked. "Come on, let's get ourselves cleaned up a bit better. Buck, is your leg doing better?"

"Thanks to Hazel, it is."

"Good, good…"

Gazing down the hills from the trail they arrived from, Bigwig hesitated for a moment, and shuddered a bit. Scowling, he swiped at the grass and pivoted to follow his friends. His eyes wandered, though, and he spotted Fiver staring at him. Their eyes locked for a moment, but Bigwig shook his head and he continued after the others. Fiver frowned a bit as he watched them go, but returned his attention to his laughing group.

Night rolled in, though it was too cloudy for the rabbits to stargaze and tell stories based on the legends of old. Dandelion started a story on El-ahrairah, but tonight the bucks were too exhausted to focus on it. When Hazel suggested that they retire early to get more rest, no one argued and they set off.

Though they had dug out enough holes for each of then to settle in, the rabbits gathered close still with one another. The down was still new to them, and they felt more comfortable together.

Bigwig gazed out from the hole to the dark sky, blinking as his eyes weighed down. They snapped back open for a moment, but he dropped back, as they slowly closed.

…

* * *

…

As his eyes opened again, Bigwig stared at the blurry world around him. It was empty, and the burrow dug out was different from his. Roots held the place together, but the more terrifying support would be the bones and skulls that decorated the interior. He fumbled back and fell, landing rough on the ground. Patting at the dirt, something felt a bit harder to him, and he slowly turned. A rabbit's skeleton was slumped in the earth, with a wire wrapped around the collarbone.

Jerking upright, Bigwig hurried from the hole and outside, only to be met with a blinding bright light. He winced as he blindly started forward. Adjusting his eyes, he gazed out at the land, still taking shape, but disturbingly familiar.

His eyes fell upon an ashen rabbit that floated in the air, and Bigwig stumbled while watching the large fellow roll past him. Bigwig's ears twitched as he listened to the rabbit's recital:

"Where are you going, wind? Far, far away

Over the hills, over the edge of the world.

Take me with you, wind, high over the sky."

Shaking his head sharply, Bigwig darted off from the haunting poet. That one was…Silverweed. But, he couldn't be back _there_ , not that hellish place again.

The light from the world above flashed and Bigwig squeezed his eyes shut. As the light settled, he twisted back around and spotted Hazel, Silver, and Strawberry.

"Hazel, are you going away?" Strawberry's voice sounded muffled, and Bigwig batted at his ears. "Take me with you."

"We don't care for creatures who deceive us," snapped Silver's muffled voice. "Better go back to Nildro-hain."

Strawberry elicited a choking squeal and Bigwig watched his form crumple. Hazel's rigid posture softened a bit, as he brushed past Silver.

Clearer than before, Strawberry's whisper carried out: "The wires."

"Not here, not again." Bigwig gripped at his head. "We got out. I got out."

A pulse rippled across the sky and Bigwig yelped as he covered his eyes again. Something slid along the ground beneath him and he jolted up, kicking at the earth. Nothing was below him, but something had flashed behind him, and he spiraled around to it.

"But where are you going?"

"Away. To the hills, if I can get there."

Seeing himself just ahead, Bigwig deflated as he recognized the scene, spotting Hazel and Fiver before him.

"You wouldn't have a hope, Fiver," echoed Bigwig's voice. "Something would get you before ni-Frith."

"No, Bigwig." Fiver's voice was quiet but clearer than anyone else's had been. "You are closer to death than I."

"Are you trying to frighten me, you miserable little lump of chattering chickweed?"

"Bigwig, stop, please!"

"You're the one that wanted this, Hazel!"

"That was before, but I…he's my brother, Bigwig," came Hazel's voice. "I have to go with him. Please understand."

"All I understand is that this wretched twit couldn't possibly know what it's like to follow orders, just trusting his twitchy little feelings and thinking he knows best for everyone," thundered Bigwig. "You want to spoil this place, this paradise?"

"It's hell!" Bigwig gasped and blinked. He hurried over to himself and waved his paws before his eyes. "Listen to Fiver, you nitwit! This place is hell!"

"Not for me, you won't," carried on the other Bigwig, without reacting to Bigwig's presence at all. He started off from the brothers, glowering back over his shoulder. "I'm finished with you. And I'll make sure the others are as well."

"You insufferable arse-hat of a fool!" Bigwig charged after himself. "Get back over here and go with them!"

Dashing off alongside himself, something snapped, and Bigwig's eyes widened, listening to the cord slide against the ground. The copper wire flew up at once, and wrapped around both of their necks, dragging Bigwig into himself.

Gripping at his neck and hacking out, Bigwig struggled and kicked at the wire, his eyes madly searching for the peg buried in the ground. The wire tightened on his throat and he gasped out, writhing against it.

Light flickered in the white sky above him, but in a flash, it wasn't the sky anymore at all. Bigwig gripped at the wire, and he was back in the burrow, with white bones decorating the roof above him. His eyes twitched at the sight of them, and Bigwig's legs dragged on the ground, failing to push himself back and upright.

His heart raced as another large rabbit with pale fur approached, a sleek coat of fur that disguised the monster beneath the rabbit. Bigwig's eyes traced the crooked whiskers and small smile of the larger rabbit, locking onto his beady eyes.

"How very nice of you to return, Thlayli," came Cowslip's sickeningly airy voice. "Did you miss us? I certainly missed you." His grin broadened. "Let's amend that."

Another snap and cord sliding rang out, followed by another, as wired wrapped around Bigwig's limbs. One more wrapped across his body, and dragged him tighter into the earth. His heart hammered as he sank deeper, and his labored breathing sputtered into a cough.

"Relax, don't struggle," cooed Cowslip. "After all, this warren of mine? It's as you called it: paradise."

Choking as he was dragged down further, Bigwig's eyes widened at the bones of rabbit paws lifting from the earth. They clamped onto his body and pulled him down, as Cowslip towered over him. A scream was locked into Bigwig's throat, and he tried to break free, but the wires tightened with every bit of resistance he gave. The bones dragged him down, and the world around Bigwig went dark.

"You are closer to death than I," echoed Fiver's voice. It grew fainter with every word.

"You are closer to death.

Closer to death.

Closer…"

Nothing else sounded as the world silenced.

…

* * *

…

Bigwig's eyes snapped open and he gasped out. His eyes darted around his familiar warren, the sloppier digging of their new holes a welcomed sight as his surroundings flooded back to him. Panting, heart pounding, he quickly reached for his neck, feeling only his fur and the scars.

"Big…?" Buckthorn yawned as he sleepily lifted his head. "Is that…you…?"

"Yeah, just…going out for a bit," mumbled Bigwig.

"You need anything…?"

"No. Back to sleep, go on."

Listening to Bigwig, Buckthorn yawned again, rolling back over and into Silver, who snuggled into him. Smirking at the sight, Bigwig gently shook his head before he turned away from the two, and surfaced outside of the Honeycomb.

Though the sky was dark and cloudy, the moon managed to pierce through the darkness. Bigwig sluggishly made his way across the hills under the moonlight, and slowed as he dropped to the ground. Grass crunched beneath him and lightly scratched at his body. Rolling around on his back, Bigwig gazed up at the night, taking in a deep breath, holding it a moment, and then slowly exhaling.

"Inlé help me," quietly begged Bigwig. "I need to rest…"

"…Bigwig?"

Ears jolting up, Bigwig forced himself up and twisted around, spotting Fiver looking over him. Groaning, Bigwig dragged his paws over his face, pulling them down as he pushed upright to meet Fiver. He gazed down at the smaller rabbit, who tilted his head.

"You don't look well," Fiver observed.

Snorting, Bigwig rolled his eyes. "What was your first clue?"

"Do you need anything?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Probably because they're concerned and want to make sure that you're ok," offered Fiver. "You know, like rabbits do when they care about one another."

"…Was that sarcasm?" Bigwig smirked, amused at hearing it from Fiver.

"It was." Fiver frowned. "You really should talk with someone. Didn't your friends try to help you out?"

Though Bigwig scowled, he deflated and glanced off behind him. "…They might have…"

"And you decided that you didn't want that…because…?"

"Uh…I, um…" Bigwig sighed. "I'm embarrassed."

"Over?"

"It's stupid—"

"Bigwig, look at who you're talking to," pointed out Fiver. "I have complete meltdowns over all kinds of visions that I see, and I drove everyone mad getting to this place." He lowered one ear and raised the other, while Bigwig looked away. "Whatever you think is mortifying to tell anyone else, you might as well tell me."

"But you were right," reminded Bigwig. "…In the end, anyway."

"Doesn't take away all of the other struggles we endured coming here, and…I'm part of the blame for it." Both of Fiver's ears lowered, while Bigwig lifted an eyebrow. "So…whatever it is, you can tell me about it."

"…I had a nightmare myself," admitted Bigwig. "It's…been happening a few times this past week." He lowered his head. "I shouldn't be struggling like this."

"We're all El-ahrairah's descendents, Bigwig," reasoned Fiver. "Each and every one of us can struggle with living and feel emotions."

"Not me." Bigwig picked himself up. "I need to be stronger than that."

"If you bottle everything in and never express whatever you're feeling, it will consume you and make you worse off in the end." Fiver lifted his head. "You never have a problem expressing yourself otherwise, so you may as well go over anything, even if you think it makes you weaker." He smiled. "I promise you, that's the one thing that won't."

For a moment, Bigwig quietly gazed into Fiver's brown eyes, and his shoulders dropped. Something soft about his expression soothed Bigwig with ease.

"Thanks. Um." Bigwig picked at his paws. "It's uh—"

"Cowslip's, with the wire." Fiver waited as Bigwig gawked to him. "There's nothing else from recent memory that could have impacted you as badly as nearly dying, especially when you thought you were safe."

"…Ok, yeah, got it in one." He sighed and looked back towards the holes, but no one else came out by them. "It wasn't pretty, I admit that."

"You nearly died," reminded Fiver. "It's completely natural to not be ok with that."

"It's far from my first near-death experience."

"But you weren't remotely prepared for this one."

"…Right…"

"That makes it worse."

"Fine, yeah, you're spot on." Bigwig huffed. "What's your point?"

"Just that you shouldn't feel awful about having a terrible nightmare for something that should rightly have terrified you to the core," expanded Fiver. He inched a bit closer to Bigwig. "None of that should make you feel weaker for sharing with anyone, because it was that bad."

"But I don't want to bother anyone," argued Bigwig. "The past few nights, I've woken someone up, normally either Silver or Buckthorn, and they haven't had at me yet, but I'm sure it's annoying."

"Then send them to talk with Hazel." Fiver shrugged. "If anyone has experience helping with troubling dreams, it would be my brother."

"Why would he…?" Bigwig's ears lowered and he stared at the ground. "Oh. Uh. Sorry."

"It's almost like you're starting to see me as someone normal," teased Fiver.

"You are."

"Not even close, but nice try." Fiver puffed out his cheek, and twitched his nose. "I'm not even out tonight for fun. I'm here for the exact reason that you're here."

"What? Bad dream?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you get Hazel?"

"Because I'm acting like you are: I don't want everyone worrying about me more than they already are." Fiver chuckled. "Especially not Hazel. He's got more than enough to deal with, on top of me normally. I don't need to bother him every night."

"But then…what do you do?"

"Walk." Fiver gazed up at the sky. "Normally, I like to look at the stars and recall the stories that Dandelion tells us, but…otherwise, I just go out and get some fresh air."

"Going alone is a bit dangerous," suggested Bigwig. "You should at least take someone."

"Like you did?" Fiver smirked as Bigwig blushed and turned aside. "Neither of us was going out very far. We just needed to get away to calm down."

"Sure, that's right," relented Bigwig. "But…well…"

"Unlike you, Bigwig, I've been doing this on and off for years." He watched as Bigwig's eyes widened on him as he sank down. "What you're feeling shouldn't last as long, I'm hoping. Perhaps the more we do with our new home, the less you'll dwell on the shining wires of Cowslip's wretched warren." Fiver smiled. "I think you'll get there in no time at all."

"That's terrible for you, Fiver." Bigwig forced himself back up. "No rabbit should have to live like that."

"Well, I do, so…" Fiver shrugged. "That's just how it is."

"You poor thing…"

"I'm not telling you that for sympathy, Bigwig." Fiver nuzzled Bigwig, who jumped from it, but eased back down as he continued. "I'm just trying to help you understand that you'll get better, and until then, you have someone who knows how it feels."

"Fi…"

"Anyway, I should apologize as well."

"Wait, what?"

"For how haunting Cowslip's has become in your mind," accounted Fiver. He lowered his head and studied the grass. "I'm the one that kept going on about how horrible the warren was."

"Rightly so."

"Even still, that didn't make it comfortable for anyone, least of all Hazel and you," recalled Fiver. "All I could think of back then was escaping that dreadful place." His ears drooped lower. "I didn't think of how much it was hurting you, or Hazel, and I only made it even worse when I told you that you were closer to dying than I was."

"But you were right," maintained Bigwig. "Just like with Sandleford, you were trying to warn everyone, but we didn't listen."

"That doesn't excuse how I panicked over it and made everything worse for it," contested Fiver. "It's so consuming to see such horrors in the moment, so I let them swallow me, and that makes me so strange and scary myself." He slowly shook his head. "If I were just a little calmer, or if I took a minute…"

"Maybe that could help, yeah," agreed Bigwig. He scooted closer to Fiver and gently rubbed him. "But, you're right about the stuff you've seen, Fiver. And you keep trying to help everyone with that, even when we don't listen. Repeatedly."

"…I guess…"

"Look, _I_ want to apologize to _you_ ," persisted Bigwig. "You tried to save my life, and already had multiple times by that point. If anything, I should've taken you at your word."

Fiver smiled a bit, but frowned quickly after. "By then, you had already done that, and we were at a low point. It wasn't worth waiting on, not after the long journey we had been on by then."

"Frith above, you know how to tear yourself down." Bigwig nudged Fiver to perk him up. "You are right on that too, because that was what at least I was feeling." He shook his head. "But, you had helped us enough by then, and that should've at least won over some of my trust."

"Hazel was the one that had it, not me."

"It should've been both of you."

"Regardless, we're not here for me," brought up Fiver. He returned his attention to Bigwig, gazing into his dark red eyes. "I'm just apologizing for the problems that I caused you, and anything bad that I contributed to that."

"Well, thank you, but it's more the shame and guilt from how I treated you that eats at me," divulged Bigwig. "So, I'm sorry, because I should have believed and trusted you by that point." He paused and smirked. "Also, I almost died, so that does play into it. That's not counting how creepy Silverweed and Cowslip were, which also keeps me up at night."

"They were very frightening rabbits," agreed Fiver.

"Ugly on the inside too," piled on Bigwig. "I dreamt of Silverweed just reciting his poem while floating in the air like the plump melon he is."

Laughter escaped Fiver, as he tried to cover his mouth. But Bigwig's grin encouraged him to laugh even more, and got chuckles out from Bigwig as well. They settled back down after a moment, and sat with one another.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Somewhat, but…I don't know if I can get back to sleep," confessed Bigwig. He slumped down and flicked a weed. "I feel like if I just go back to sleep, I'll see everything awful happen all over again."

"Well, for whatever went wrong between us back then, I'm sorry for my part, and I forgive you for yours." Fiver smiled up to Bigwig. "I don't want to cause any of those feelings for you, so I want you to remember this whenever I come in." He patted Bigwig's forearm. "I care about you, Bigwig, and I'm certain we're much better off with you here around us."

"Likely true; this lot would be lost without me," joked Bigwig. He nuzzled close to Fiver. "But I'm sorry too, because you didn't deserve my worst. And I forgive you too, because you really do have good intentions, as hard as it can be to see." He opened his mouth to add more, but Fiver interrupted without noticing.

"Good, then we can at least feel better together," he determined. "So…that should help a bit."

"Might not be that easy for me…"

"No? Then…" Fiver thought for a moment, but jumped up at his idea. "How about you rest by me for a little while?"

"Huh?"

"Think about it: if you have a nightmare about that time with me in it, I can help calm you down with the truth." Fiver leaned back and glanced up at the moon. "And if it's nothing to do with me, I still understand the pain you're dealing with, so, I can help you get past that too."

"Hmm." Hesitating a bit, Bigwig smirked and nodded. "Fine, sounds good. But, if we're sleeping together, then you have to do the same. Anything that you have a problem with, even if I'm not awake for it, then you have to get me up and tell me about it. Even if I'm a grouch about it at first, I'll get over it for you."

"Wait, you'd…do all of that? For me?"

"Yeah." Bigwig shrugged. "I owe you that much."

"You don't owe me anything."

"Fine, then I want to do that for you." He smiled. "Because I care about you too, Fiver. As difficult as I make it, deep down, I really do."

Fiver blushed and turned away from Bigwig, nodding as he looked aside. Forcing himself back around, he watched as Bigwig clamped down a yawn, failing to suppress it.

"How about we get to sleep now, then?"

"Probably should, yeah."

They hopped back toward the holes, both glancing back at the moon once more, before venturing back into their home.

…

* * *

…

"Would you look at this?"

"Huh. Well, I wouldn't have expected that."

Bigwig slowly forced his eyes open, and glared up at Silver and Buckthorn, who stared over him. They had their attention not only on Bigwig, but Fiver as well, who was cuddled close into Bigwig's body. Finding his glower after a moment, both slouched down as Bigwig leaned up a bit.

"Not a word," threatened Bigwig.

"We—" Silver stopped himself and squeezed his mouth shut.

"Good." Bigwig sank back down, shifting back near Fiver. "He needs more rest."

Blinking in bewilderment, Buckthorn and Silver exchanged their gawking faces, but spoke no more, leaving the pair to rest a little longer into the morning. After all, Bigwig hadn't forgotten how they rested together at night either.

Watching them along the side, Hazel smiled at the scene, relaxing as Fiver scooted closer into Bigwig as they snoozed.

It could be nice to have someone else looking after his brother too.

**Author's Note:**

> The comfort they give one another is so good...!
> 
> Some spoiler discussion below, if you haven't read the book or seen any of the shows.
> 
> I've been wanting to save up this type of discussion between Fiver and Bigwig for something else that I might write, but since I'm not sure that I'd ever get to it, I figured I could just base it off of the canon material. It's basically them being able to understand one another better because they've both had unsettling dreams to deal with.
> 
> Honestly, I haven't read the whole book yet, so I don't know if it comes up again, but I feel like Bigwig would need to go over the whole "almost choked to death when I least expected it" moment he had back at Cowslip's. Yeah, I know, it's Bigwig, but that's just a tiny bit traumatic for even the toughest soldiers, in my opinion.
> 
> So I gave him recurring nightmares that he was afraid to share with anyone else. Because that expresses it perfectly.
> 
> Anyway, I knew that Fiver would be the perfect option to console Bigwig about that, because Hazel may be the Chief of Watership Down, but Fiver is the King of Watership Trauma! ...Ok, yeah, Hazel probably wins that one too, in the end. But, Fiver has to deal with it on a regular basis, not circumstantial, so I'm giving it to him.
> 
> This contributes to the fuel for the two making a cute pairing that no canon will ever deliver, but I'll happily shovel it out faster than the rabbits dig.
> 
> ...
> 
> Some extra character notes too:
> 
> I was SO EXCITED to write Strawberry, and I did NOT get to work on him enough! Now there's a rabbit that buries his terrible life experiences that we very desperately should go over more, because he needs love and support and probably therapy too! Plus, he seems cute, I dunno.
> 
> Pipkin was tricky to write...? Like, the movie doesn't do a lot with him, the miniseries dropped him for Bluebell expansion, but the tv series has made him constantly equated with being a child to the other rabbits. But, I don't think he's outright stated to be such in the books, just a friend of Fiver's, and Fiver is meant to be an adult, I'm pretty sure. So, like, I felt as though Pipkin would make sense as one too, but I also like him being the youngest of the bunch, so...I went with that too.
> 
> Blackberry is more normal here than my usual interpretations of him, since I like hinting at or directly making him an insufferable smart guy with an underlying heart of gold. So, he's more canon-like here. You're welcome.
> 
> I HAVEN'T WRITTEN HAZEL IN YEARS. I feel much better including him again. The book kind of threw me off with how he actually is, but I'm still calling him a good older brother, so, he's a good buck.
> 
> Silver and Buckthorn were also exciting to write up, because anything past canon does nothing with them, so I decided to have fun with interpreting them how I wanted. And they're fun characters! Bigwig having closer friends is cute too, though I like him being a bit more of a loner, as that makes him easier to relate Fiver to. Then again, in spite of them being here, they related well anyway, so, ha!
> 
> Hawkbit came by for a brief hello, and that was rather nice of him. Except for Bigwig, but they're used to that.
> 
> Silverweed and Cowslip being regulated to dream land made them a bit trickier to write, but I tried basing that on the book too. I know the tv series makes Silverweed this scrawny rabbit all the time, but the book mentions him to be large like the others, so I went with that. Cowslip got to be extra creepy, because he literally is, so that's just par for the course!
> 
> ...
> 
> Anyway, some hurt and comfort stuff and fluff for Bigwig and Fiver. They're good at balancing with one another, and they're a sweet pair, honest. (Even if you don't think so, for some reason, this does make a cute friendship story too.) Regardless, I think it came out well.
> 
> That's all for this one, though. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Take care!


End file.
